Literary origins
'Premise' On a cross-shaped island, a mysterious Organization, seeking weapons of mass destruction for use on the mainland, experiments with monsters called Yoma, who prey on humans.Claymore 15, Scene 079–Scene 080, pp. 52–77 To finance their activities, the Organization runs a protection scheme, where female half-Yoma warriors, called "Claymores" by the public, suppress Yoma for a fee. Series starts with warrior No. 47, Clare, who saves a young boy, Raki, from a Yoma in Doga village.Claymore 1, Scene 001, p. 42 Series climaxes with a Claymore Rebellion at Organization Headquarters.Claymore 20, Scene 113, p. 185 The dilemma of Teresa, Clare and other Claymores is similar to Arthur's in T.H. White's The Once and Future King (1958): "The central theme is an exploration of human nature regarding power and justice, as the boy Arthur becomes king and attempts to quell the prevalent "might makes right" attitude with his idea of chivalry. But in the end, even chivalry comes undone since its justice is maintained by force."''The Once and Future King'', Wikipedia 'Literary origins' Claymore is often comparedTop 11 Anime Series of all Time to Berserk (1990) and Freezing (2007), the second due to misunderstandings about the Pandora-Limiter partnership and Stigmata. Claymore is a culmination of various genres spanning from the Western Bronze Age, to the Middle Ages, to the 20th century. Claymore has four parallel, genre lineages: *Sword and Sorcery *Superhero *Science Fiction *Fantasy 'Sword and Sorcery' 'Ancient period: 800 BC–600 AD' Greek and Roman mythology resurface in various guises in Claymore—tropes from Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Perseus and Jason and the Argonauts. Miria repeats the Perseus trope of holding up Medusa's head.Jump Square, June 2012, Claymore, Scene 126, pp. 260–261 'Medieval period: 600–1500' Celtic and English tropes from King Arthur and Robin Hood appear throughout Claymore. The Ghosts resemble Robin Hood's band of Merry Men. Medieval legends also give birth to the sword-fighting genres of the 19th century. '19th century' The medieval broadsword genre begins with Walter Scott's Ivanhoe (1820), while the Swashbuckler genre starts with Alexandre Dumas's The Three Musketeers (1844). Norse influence is reintroduced with H. Rider Haggard's Viking epic, Eric Brighteyes (1890), which continues the medieval sword theme. Eric Brighteyes is a precursor of Poul Anderson's The Broken Sword (1954), which in turn is a precursor of Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melnibon (1972), which reinvents the entire Sword and Sorcery genre. '20th century' Moorcock, who originates the phrase, "Sword and Sorcery,"Sword and Sorcery, Wikipedia has other literary lineages. ='T.H. White' = A popular book in Japan, the UK and US, Moorcock attributes T.H. White's The Once and Future King as a seminal influence."Fifty Percent Fiction" ='Burroughs and Howard' = Haggard's series about Allan Quatermain, a pre-20th century superhero, are reworked into Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan (1912). This in turn becomes the childhood favorite of Robert E. Howard's, who creates Conan the Barbarian (1932). Moorcock's Elric is meant as the antithesis of Conan.Moorcock on Conan ='Zenith' = Elric's albinism derives from Monsieur Zenith (1918), a character in the Sexton Blake detective series (1916–1948). This trope is repeated in Claymore and Andrzej Sapkowski's similar Witcher series (1992).Moorcock published in Eastern Europe Geralt the Witcher becomes an albino with "hormones, (agic) herbs, viral infections."The Last Wish, Andrzej Sapkowski, 1993, p. 93 A female Witcher is created in the same manner.Blood of Elves, Andrzej Sapkowski, 1994, p. 34 Claymore warriors, instead, get infected with Yoma tissue implants throughout their body. 'Superhero' ='Early 20th century' = The Swashbuckler evolves into the Superhero, beginning with Emma Orczy's Scarlet Pimpernel (1905), an amalgam of Scott, Dumas and Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac (1897). The Scarlet Pimpernel inspires Johnston McCulley's Zorro (1919), which in turn inspires Lee Falk's The Phantom (1936). The Phantom, the "Ghost who walks," originates the skin-tight costume and pupiless eye trope seen in Claymore and elsewhere. ='Later developments' = The Phantom, which uses genre tropes from Burroughs and Haggard, paves the way for Superman (1938), Batman (1939) and countless other superheros in tights and capes, who are widely read in post-war Japan. The result is a flood of manga/anime superheroes during the post-war period (1946–present). 'Science Fiction' Body part tropes (Yoma implants and Clare's arm transplant) descend from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818). The Frankenstein Mix-and-Match trope is shared with Freezing. Dae's experiments in giantism descend from H.G. Wells' Food of the Gods (1904). The Yoma invasion of Rabona''Claymore 20'', Scene 108, pp. 10–13 repeats the alien invasion trope of Well's The War of the World (1898). 'Fantasy' Elements of medieval European folk tales by the Brothers Grimm appear throughout Claymore. L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) is major genre influence. Baum's quartet trope is repeated with the Paburo Hunt, the warriors having the same illusions—Miria no heart, Deneve no courage, Helen no brain, Clare no home. Raki fulfills the Toto role and represents Clare's wiser half. Much of the phenomenon of "awakening" appears in the realm of Fantasy, rather than Science Fiction. Such as the scene in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), where Alice's drinking from the bottle causes her to become a giant without destroying her clothes. This is similar to Alicia ("Alice" in the French translation)Claymore 6, Glénat Édition Française, Scene 031, p. 112 and her special black uniform, which allows awakenings. Awakened Beings sometimes resemble John Tenniel's version of the Jabberwock. 'Differences' 'Elric and Geralt' One important difference between the Claymores, versus Elric and Geralt of Rivia, is that while drugs (herbs) are used to increase the power of Elric and Geralt, Suppressant is used by Claymores to hide their auras, but lowers their Yoma Energy sensing.Claymore 2, Scene 005, p. 17 To increase their power, Claymore warriors simply release their Yoma Energy. Elric and Geralt are called "White Wolf," while Claymores are called "silver-eyed witches." 'Male leadership' Another difference is the Claymore warriors are generally females, though males are in charge of the mercenary groups, as in the Conan, Elric and Geralt series. The Organization uses tropes which descend from Arthur Conan Doyle's The White Company (1891) and the secret societies of Talbot Mundy (1879–1940). The Organization's Executive and similar groups in related genres typically resemble Mundy's iconic The Nine Unknown (1923). ''Freezing ='Limiter' = The protagonist of ''Freezing, Satellizer L. Bridget, resembles Teresa of the Faint Smile more than Clare. Also, Pandora warriors need a partner called a "Limiter," while Claymores generally fight alone, unless part of an Awakened Hunt. The pairing of Clare and Raki is often mistaken for the Pandora-Limiter partnership. Neither Clare as a girl—while being with Teresa—or Raki are Limiters. ='Implants' = Freezing shares the same Frankenstein Mix-and-Match trope as Claymore. Tissue is taken from Nova aliens and grown in a cell culture. Tissue is harvested, made into hexagonal-shaped tablets and implanted into the backs of trainees, who become "Pandoras" with superhuman powers. The more implants, the more power.[http://freezing.wikia.com/wiki/Stigmata Stigmata, Freezing Wiki] In Claymore, the Yoma implants are made through an incision running down the front of the torso, from the throat to the mons pubis.Jump Square, September 2012, Claymore, Scene 129, p. 651 Only sutures prevent the internal organs from spilling out.Jump Square, September 2012, Claymore, Scene 129, pp. 652–655 ='Milieu' = Freezing has a futuristic background and superficially fits the Science Fiction genre, but synergizes other traditional manga genres, which provides its real core—thus is more manga-like. Claymore has a medieval background and synergizes the four genre lineages described above—this is its core. Claymore has been described, criticized and praised as being "un-manga." References Tankōbon Claymore volumes cited are VIZ Media (en-us) editions, unless otherwise noted. Manga scenes (chapters) not yet translated cite Shueisha tankōbon (ja) editions. Manga scenes not yet published in tankōbon form cite Jump Square (ja) editions. Fragments of Silver Omnibus (総集編 銀の断章 Gin no Danshou) 1–3, Shueisha, are only available in Japanese. Anime scenes (episodes) cited are FUNimation (en-us) editions, unless otherwise noted. Category:Browse Category:Content Category:Scenes